The document discusses rock breakage in mining. It describes the typical mine life cycle process from exploration to reclamation and how rock breakage occurs at different stages. Specifically, it discusses drilling techniques used for exploration, surface excavation methods like open pit mining using drill-and-blast, and underground excavation methods employing drill-and-blast or machinery depending on the mining method.
The document discusses rock breakage in mining. It describes the typical mine life cycle process from exploration to reclamation and how rock breakage occurs at different stages. Specifically, it discusses drilling techniques used for exploration, surface excavation methods like open pit mining using drill-and-blast, and underground excavation methods employing drill-and-blast or machinery depending on the mining method.
The document discusses rock breakage in mining. It describes the typical mine life cycle process from exploration to reclamation and how rock breakage occurs at different stages. Specifically, it discusses drilling techniques used for exploration, surface excavation methods like open pit mining using drill-and-blast, and underground excavation methods employing drill-and-blast or machinery depending on the mining method.
The document discusses rock breakage in mining. It describes the typical mine life cycle process from exploration to reclamation and how rock breakage occurs at different stages. Specifically, it discusses drilling techniques used for exploration, surface excavation methods like open pit mining using drill-and-blast, and underground excavation methods employing drill-and-blast or machinery depending on the mining method.
• Drilling for Mineral Exploration • Surface Mine Rock Excavation • Underground Mine Rock Excavation • Other Earth Resources Extractions
2 Mine Life Cycle and Rock Breakage
Mine Life Cycle and Processes
Mine life cycle involves planning, design and on-site
activities, with processes from mineral prospecting to post-mine reclamation.
Planning
Design
Prospecting Development Exploitation Rehabilitation
Exploration Construction Production Reclamation
Mine Life Cycle and Rock Breakage
Mineral Prospecting and Exploration
Stage Procedure Timeline
a. Review existing information (maps, photos,
literature, old mines, etc) Mineral Prospecting b. Prospect and explore (geophysical survey, and probing drilling and sample coring) Exploration 3-8 Searching c. Test and analyse (using samples from core years and defining drilling) mineral d. Evaluate and decide (locate potential deposit, deposits estimate tonnage grade and value, make decision)
4 Mine Life Cycle and Rock Breakage
Mine Development and Construction
Stage Procedure Timeline
a. Acquire mining rights (purchase or lease), if not
done in stage 2 Mine Development b. File environmental impact statement, technology assessment and permits Opening up 2-5 the deposit c. Construct access roads and transport system years for production d. Locate surface plant and construct other facilities
e. Excavate overburden, sink shafts, and excavate
access tunnels
Mine Life Cycle and Rock Breakage
Mine Exploitation and Production
Stage Procedure Timeline
a. Excavate and mine ore deposits
Mine • Surface mines (open pits and strip) Exploitation • Underground mines (room-and-pillar, open stoping, longwall, block caving, etc) 10-30 Large scale production years of ore b. Transport excavated ore to processing plant
c. Crush, mill, and process to extract minerals
6 Mine Life Cycle and Rock Breakage
Mine Rehabilitation and Reclamation
Stage Procedure Timeline
a. Remove plants, building and other mining
infrastructure Rehabilitat- ion b. Restore waste dumps and tailings 1-10 Post-mining years restoration c. Stabilise open pit and stope to safety of site d. Restore the mine site, including plantation, landscape and environment
Mining Process and Rock Breakage
Rock Breakage Activities in Mine Life Cycle
Prospecting Development Production Restoration
Exploration Construction Exploitation Rehabilitation
Drilling and Mechanised or Mechanised or Possible re-
coring for drill-and-blast drill-and-blast excavation for probing and excavation of excavation of slope and sampling shafts and ore rock, rock stope tunnels, or crushing and stabilisation overburden milling and safety removing
8 Drilling for Mineral Exploration
Probing by Percussion Drilling
• Rapid drilling, suitable to quick and shallow
subsurface probing. • Similar percussion drilling machine for blast hole. • No sample. Assessing material by crushed fragments and powder. • Detect change of materials, cavities, soft or hard materials. • Drilling operator is important.
Drilling for Mineral Exploration
Coring and Sampling
• Drillhole is cored, with smooth wall.
• Vertical, inclined and horizontal directional drilling. • Core sample obtained, used for testing. • Field measurements in boreholes.
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10 Drilling for Mineral Exploration
Outputs of Exploration Drilling and Coring
• 2D and 3D subsurface ground profile.
• Ore deposit geometry and grade. • Mineralogy, mechanical and engineering characteristics. • Engineering planning and design parameters.
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Surface Mine Rock Excavation
Open Pit Mine
Sloped pit with benches around. Rock excavation
Open pit is mainly by drill-and-blast. Soft coal seam excavation is by dragline and Strip shovel.
to the slope excavation. In addition to optimal production, pit stability can be improved by designing appropriate slope angle and performing smooth blast for the slope. Hoek 2000
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14 Underground Mine Rock Excavation
Underground Mine Excavation Methods
Mining Method Excavation Method Drill-and-blast, roadheader and Room and Pillar continuous miner Sublevel Open Stoping Drill-and-blast Cut and Fill Stoping Drill-and-blast Shrink Stoping Drill-and-blast Longwall Shearer Sublevel Caving Caving induced by blast Block Caving Caving induced by blast
drill-and-blast layout to optimise rock breakage and draw. Block caving uses under- cutting and blast to initiate gravity rock breakage and Improved SLC layout
